conversations\endgameslides 1 120 3 At your command, the ancient device became your instrument, spinning to life with deafening resonance and gathering up the swirling essence like thread on a great spindle. There, in the pale, pulsing glow of the machine that set you on this path long ago, you summoned all your strength, focusing on your objective and blocking out all else. With a single, concussive blast that rocked the chamber and sent you tumbling to the ground, you freed the souls from their stasis. 4 Exhausted, your consciousness slipping away, your last sight was of the machine, dark and dormant. Then your eyes closed, and sleep welcomed you at long last. 5 With your business concluded, Hiravias quietly took his leave and headed home to Thein Bog. The elders of the Fisher Crane had not warmed to Hiravias in his absence, and when he arrived, he was denounced and scorned. Hiravias spoke of his deeds and of his communion with Galawain - yet none would support his petition to return to the tribe. 6 Hiravias took his leave of the party and, after his first bath in years, returned to his nomadic lifestyle. With his homesickness expunged, he found renewed joy and tranquility in his wandering survey of the wilderness. For the first time in his life, he ventured beyond sight of the mountains of Eir Glanfath. During his travels, he penned numerous journals and sketches detailing his travels through frozen tundra, searing desert, and tropical forests. 7 One by one, starting with the oldest, Hiravias challenged each member of the council to single combat - humiliating the rîow in a series of savage duels. With half the council bloodied and shamed, the elders at last acknowledged Hiravias' strength, announcing him a hunter of the Fisher Crane tribe. Upon being granted this title, Hiravias calmly left the village and embarked again on his life of wandering. 8 Wherever he went, Hiravias left behind stories of the Autumn Druid - a temperamental, one-eyed wise man of the forest known to bring food to lost travelers and unusual advice to anyone willing to ask him a question. 9 With the birth of his Hollowborn child, the last threads of Lord Raedric's sanity frayed and broke apart, his wife the first victim of his wrath. With a fortress to protect him and a garrison of loyal soldiers at his command, he continued to snuff out all signs of resistance from the citizens of Gilded Vale, real or perceived. In the end, all would hang from the boughs of the village's trees, watching over their dead town with vacant eyes. 10 Bank Node 10 11 Lord Raedric's zeal had brought him back to life once, but it would not do so again. Raedric's destruction at your hands spelled the end of his suffocating rule over Gilded Vale and the surrounding area. In his absence, the village prospered, becoming a popular destination for new settlers anxious to leave Defiance Bay after the riots. Without a nearby ruler, it also grew more wild, with many settlers moving on as soon as they'd arrived, turned off by lawlessness that was excessive even by Dyrwoodan standards. Nevertheless, despite the challenges of living there, Gilded Vale had survived, and would continue to survive for the foreseeable future. 12 Though you had killed Lord Raedric in his throne room, so strong was his drive to rid his land of Eothasians that he returned to life as a deathguard, a deathless crusader for his brutal cause. With the remains of his humanity stripped away, Raedric came to see all the people of Gilded Vale as worshippers of Eothas, and one day he led his forces into the village personally to see them all purged from his lands. Gilded Vale was left a hollow shell, its buildings ruined and its people slaughtered. Even travelers and would-be squatters knew better than to take refuge inside its borders. Lord Raedric returned to Raedric's Hold, where he remained, keeping eternal watch over his barren domain. 13 The duc's assassination at the apparent hands of an animancer had caused catastrophic rioting in the streets of Defiance Bay, but those who had escaped the melee in the palace hearings remembered the testimonies of the strange guest who had shown up that day and absolved animancy, implicating the Leaden Key instead. The rumor spread quickly, and soon the popular belief was that the assassin had been a Leaden Key spy. 14 The duc's assassination at the apparent hands of an animancer had caused catastrophic rioting in the streets of Defiance Bay, and few animancers survived the first day. In the weeks that followed, angry citizens, their rage stoked by word that the duc had been about to ban the practice, formed vigilante mobs and hunted down the survivors. 15 The duc's assassination at the apparent hands of an animancer had caused catastrophic rioting in the streets of Defiance Bay, and few animancers survived the first day. Many Dyrwoodans took the end of Waidwen's Legacy as a sign both that the gods did not approve of animancy and that the purging of animancers in Defiance Bay had been enough to satisfy them. In time, their rage would subside, and a number of surviving animancers remained in and around Defiance Bay, often taking to the wilds to practice their science without repercussions. 17 But order would soon come from an unexpected source. House Doemenel, realizing that stability was good for business, brought the city's criminal elements in line through a systematic campaign of fear and intimidation. Capitalizing on a reputation for brazen fearlessness earned with the murder of a marshal of the Crucible Knights, the Doemenels aggressively pressed their authority, murdering all would-be rivals and collecting coin from all transactions in the city and becoming arguably the most influential house in all of Dyrwood. 18 But once the Dozens had regrouped in the wake of the riots, they quickly put an end to the criminal activity, patrolling the streets in droves and administering their brand of law on any perceived offenders. They also took the opportunity to depose the weakened Knights of the Crucible from their position of authority, branding them traitors to the people for their actions during the riots. Whatever Knights weren't stoned to death in front of their keep were forced into exile. The external contingent of Knights stationed at Fleetbreaker Castle would remain there, their High Justice plotting the city's recapture. 19 But order was soon reestablished by the Knights of the Crucible, who, despite their depleted numbers, had gained favor in the public eye for their role in the unraveling of the conspiracy surrounding Waidwen's Legacy, and were quickly reinforced by returning forces from Fleetbreaker Castle. 21 The destruction of the machine atop Teir Nowneth spelled the end of the reanimated corpses in Heritage Hill. Though at first few were willing to venture into the abandoned district, it was soon cleaned out and rebuilt. The district's horrors still fresh in people's minds, it would be some time before it was fully repopulated, but eventually the lure of cheap, prime land would all but erase the memory. 22 Though the machine atop Teir Nowneth had been drained of its accumulated essence, the machine had not seen its last use. Heritage Hill was rebuilt, and no sooner had the first families moved in to resettle the district than members of the Leaden Key, acting under standing orders from their grandmaster, climbed the tower and reactivated the machine. The initiates slew a handful of the new settlers under cover of night and watched as history repeated itself, the victims reanimating and devouring the survivors. After this second incident, the district would remain abandoned. 23 Though the machine atop Teir Nowneth had been disabled, it had not seen its last use. Heritage Hill was rebuilt, and no sooner had the first families moved in to resettle the district than members of the Leaden Key, acting under standing orders from their grandmaster, climbed the tower and reactivated the machine. The initiates slew a handful of the new settlers under cover of night and watched as history repeated itself, the victims reanimating and devouring the survivors. After this second incident, the district would remain abandoned. 24 Bank Node 24 25 The fortress of Caed Nua emerged as a bastion of security in the midst of an untamed land, becoming the envy of every thayn and erl in Dyrwood. Legend grew over time of its impregnability, and stories of formidable invaders easily scattered by the keep's defenses became popular around the hearths of Dyrwoodan inns. 26 The fortress of Caed Nua became a beacon to travelers, merchants, and visiting dignitaries alike. Reputed as the finest fortress in all Dyrwood, people would journey from near and distant lands alike to experience its fabled hospitality and grandeur. 27 The rejuvenation of Caed Nua was a short-lived endeavor. While the rise of a new master had presented new hopes of the keep being restored to its former glory, time proved otherwise. Plans for maintenance of the structure were postponed time and time again, until ultimately they were scrapped altogether, their master's priorities lying elsewhere. 28 Bank Node 28 29 After the death of the Master Below, a strange quiet fell over the Endless Paths of Od Nua. The attacks on the fortress above ceased, Od Nua's silent titan the closest remaining thing to a master in its musty, forgotten passages. 30 The adra dragon known as the Master Below, her soul now housed in the body of the huntress Falanroed, passed out of Dyrwood in relative anonymity, her final destination unknown, even to herself. She was last seen in the port town of Road's End, boarding a ship, an adra talisman glowing about her neck. 31 Bank Node 31 32 At your direction, the souls diverted by Thaos were guided back to the vessels originally meant for them. For the first time, parents of Hollowborn children woke to the cries of their infants, and looked into their eyes to see them staring back. People fell to their knees where they stood, thanking Hylea or Magran, or even Eothas for their forgiveness of whatever guilt they felt they bore. 33 At your direction, the thousands of souls gathered at the machine in Sun in Shadow were disintegrated, their essence scattered to the winds like a lifting fog, never again to find its way into the body of a living being. Though none in Dyrwood would ever know for certain what had become of the missing souls, many followers of the Beast of Winter were given visions of a mass exodus to a land of eternal peace. Solemn celebrations were held the following day among his faithful. 34 At your direction, the goddess Woedica ultimately received the empowerment she had sought, albeit not in the manner she had expected. The swirling souls held captive in Sun in Shadow were swept into the great adra pillar there, sent barreling down through the world's veins to places unknown to mortal sight. Though no word would reach your ears of their arrival, by the time you had returned to Twin Elms, word had spread of a miracle on their Burial Isle, and pious Glanfathans were already streaming in from all over to observe the statue of Woedica there, its once-broken crown now fully restored. 35 At your direction, the essence gathered in Sun in Shadow was sent across Dyrwood to meld with and galvanize the souls of its people. In the days that followed, Dyrwoodans confronting adversity and expecting to be at the mercy of their own weakness instead found strength and the will to persevere. The aggrieved found themselves able to carry on after their losses. The desperate found new reasons to hope. 36 At your direction, the lost souls of the Hollowborn were funneled back into the churn of Berath's Wheel, to find their way into new vessels and partake in the life they had been denied during Waidwen's Legacy. 37 At your direction, the souls of the Hollowborn, long lost to the people of Dyrwood, were sent to a place or places unknown for reasons as mysterious as the god who suggested it. No sooner had the mystery of their whereabouts been solved than it was renewed - a new riddle for someone yet to be revealed, or perhaps for no one at all. 39 Hylea, who had expected the souls to be returned to the Hollowborn, was infuriated by your duplicity. The goddess of motherhood demanded new births in compensation, and made a bargain with Berath to trade death for new life. 40 The loss of the souls you had promised to entropy would be no setback to Rymrgand, nor to Ondra, for the Beast of Winter trudges ever forward, and the will of the Lady of Lament is as unstoppable as the tide. In Dyrwood, the weather quickly chilled. Unseasonable frosts destroyed the year's harvests before giving way to the coldest winter in memory. Many who survived the famine would soon freeze to death in their own homes. 41 It is said that Galawain is the enforcer of the gods, and is known to hunt down those who wrong them. To wrong Galawain, then, is truly to wake the beast, and the Father of Monsters took great umbrage at your broken promise to him. Along with Magran and Abydon, Galawain embarked upon a more direct approach to claiming his quarry. In the months that followed, the frontier settlements of Dyrwood were inexplicably attacked by packs of beasts and monsters, suddenly organized and unafraid to approach kith on their own land. Many such villages were all but destroyed by the time troops could be dispatched from local garrisons. 42 Followers of Berath have a saying that life is a debt all must pay in death, and their god is known to always collect what it is owed. In breaking your word to Berath, a debt was created - souls were owed to the Cycle - and the agents of the god of inevitability would not be refused. 43 Skaen did not take lightly the insult of being lied to about the destination of the souls of the Hollowborn. Feeling that an act of defiance was warranted against all of Dyrwood for daring to reclaim its souls from his queen, Skaen wasted no time in compelling his followers to summon an incarnation of the Effigy into the world to take revenge, something that had not happened for more than a century, and never at the god's own request. 45 Pallegina had missed the opportunity to complete her mission from the ducs bels. With the Dyrwood's people strengthened by the Watcher's gift of souls, they quickly resumed brisk trade with the tribes of Eir Glanfath. For her repeated insubordination and loss of lucrative trade, Pallegina was cast out of the Brotherhood of Five Suns. She traveled north of the Eastern Reach where she tried to avoid trouble as a caravan guard, but she could not escape the strange looks and unwanted attention her appearance brought. 46 Pallegina had missed the opportunity to complete her mission from the ducs bels. The Dyrwood's trade with Eir Glanfath remained weak, but the Vailian Republics were unable to enter Glanfathan markets. For her repeated insubordination and loss of lucrative trade, Pallegina was cast out of the Brotherhood of Five Suns. She traveled north of the Eastern Reach where she tried to avoid trouble as a caravan guard, but she could not escape the strange looks and unwanted attention her appearance brought. 47 Pallegina had gone against the ducs bels' orders by inventing a new trade arrangement with the anamenfath to accommodate the recovering Dyrwoodan market. With the Dyrwood's people strengthened by the Watcher's gift of souls, the Vailian Republics found themselves struggling to keep up with their new competitors. For her outrageous insubordination and audacity, Pallegina was banished from the Republics for several years. After the southern forest of Eir Glanfath opened to both the Republics and the Dyrwood, the Vailians found that the combined efforts of all three nations had created a robust trade network. The ducessa of Biageppe granted Pallegina a pardon for her foresight, though it took many years for her to regain the trust of her superiors and brothers in the order. 48 Pallegina had followed her orders from the ducs bels, helping establish an exclusive trade arrangement between the Vailian Republics and the tribes of Eir Glanfath. Strengthened by the Watcher's gift of souls, the furious Dyrwoodans waged war against the Republics for two long years. The Republics gained a great deal of wealth in trade, but suffered the loss of many trade vessels and thousands of lives. Several of the ducal families lost favor with their citizens. Riots in Selona claimed the life of that city's duc, and the other ducs bels were pressured into relinquishing their exclusive trade rights to end the conflict with the Dyrwood. Pallegina had been honored for her service at the opening of trade, but her reputation among the ducs and within the Brotherhood was not tarnished by what followed. 49 Pallegina had gone against the ducs bels' orders by inventing a new trade arrangement with the anamenfath to accommodate the recovering Dyrwoodan market. With the Dyrwood's people still weakened by Waidwen's Legacy, the Vailian Republics easily pushed their would-be competitors out of the market. For her outrageous insubordination and audacity, Pallegina was banished from the Republics. She traveled north in the Eastern Reach, avoiding Vailian ports and entering the ranks of the Kind Wayfarers. Despite her bravery and dedication to those in her care, her strange appearance made her feel like an outsider wherever she went. 50 Pallegina had followed her orders from the ducs bels, helping establish an exclusive trade arrangement between the Vailian Republics and the tribes of Eir Glanfath. With the Dyrwood's people still weakened by Waidwen's Legacy, the Vailian Republics easily pushed their would-be competitors out of the market. The Dyrwood suffered as terribly from the lost trade as the Republics benefited from it. Pallegina was honored for her service by being assigned as the personal guard of the ducess of Spirento. Despite her success, she regretted the choices she had made along the way. 51 Bank Node 51 53 Edér chose not to return home to Gilded Vale. Still most comfortable far from cities, he settled in Dyrford, which, like many towns in the Dyrwood, was beginning the slow process of rebuilding. Believing now that it was the obligation of kith to be the leaders their gods had not, Edér was soon named mayor of the town, and under his guidance, Dyrford soon began to prosper. He expelled the last of the Skaenites from the area and drew new settlers with the offer of land, a trick he had learned from someone he otherwise preferred to forget. With each passing day, Dyrford would come to more closely resemble the Gilded Vale of Edér's childhood - the one worthy of its name. 54 Edér chose not to return home to Gilded Vale. Through a number of quiet inquiries, he soon found his way into the underground organization of Eothasians known as the Night Market. Ironically, in learning that the gods had been fabricated, Edér found his faith in Eothas renewed, and that his god was neither alive nor truly a god had become irrelevant. He rose quickly through the ranks of the Night Market for his optimism and for his bold leadership, his ultimate goal to make the Dyrwood a place that would welcome followers of the Shining God once again. 55 Bank Node 55 56 When the dust settled in Sun in Shadow, Aloth looked upon the remains of Thaos ix Arkannon, his former master. He saw where the grandmaster had gone wrong, and he knew what he would do better. The secret of the gods would be preserved, and with it, the sanity and wellbeing of all kith. He donned the remains of Thaos' ceremonial garb and prepared himself for the long and lonely task ahead. 57 When the dust settled in Sun in Shadow, Aloth looked upon the remains of Thaos ix Arkannon, his former master. He saw where the grandmaster had gone wrong and what would be required to undo the harm Thaos had wrought. 58 After the Watcher sent him away, Aloth found himself cut off from every authority and ally he had ever known - his family, his homeland, the Leaden Key, and, finally, the Watcher. He wandered on his own for several days, passing through villages and settlements. The Dyrwoodans he passed looked on the ragged Aedyran with suspicion, and he did not linger long enough to let their misgivings turn to violence. 59 Bank Node 59 60 With both their aims fulfilled, Kana Rua bid the Watcher farewell, and sailed back to his beloved Rauatai. There he reported on his findings to the lore college. Kana spoke of the Engwithan people, describing both their vile experiments and their inspiring accomplishments. He spoke too of the destruction of the tablet by the Leaden Key, and the group's efforts to erase the Engwithan legacy from the world. Both inspiration and cautionary tales, he said, could be found in the world beyond Rauatai's borders. Kana urged his people to continue to pursue knowledge abroad, so that the lessons found there might benefit Tâkowa. 61 With the Watcher's goals accomplished, and his own vows fulfilled, Kana Rua sailed back to Tâkowa. His friends and family found him much changed, for a pall had fallen upon the man, smothering his former enthusiasm. Called before the lore college, Kana told them of the pain the Engwithan legacy brought to the lands abroad. He insisted that a search for answers abroad could only fragment the Rauatai people, as it had done to the Dyrwood. His findings were met with much respect, and Kana Rua's voice came to be considered an influential one in the growing move towards Rauatai's isolation. 62 With both their aims fulfilled, Kana Rua bid the Watcher farewell, and sailed back to his beloved Rauatai. There, he came before the lore college, determined to guide his people down a better path. Before his intrigued peers, he spoke of the accomplishments of the great people of Engwith, and their efforts to bring peace to Rauatai and the myriad cultures of Eora. He presented the shattered tablet as proof of the Tanvii ora Toha's existence beyond Rauatai's borders, and the shared ideals of Eora's peoples. 63 With the Watcher's goals accomplished, and his own vows fulfilled, Kana Rua sailed back toward Rauatai, thinking on the lessons his travels had provided him. By the time he landed at Tâkowa, he understood what his path must be. Standing before the lore college, Kana Rua explained that the tablet he sought had been destroyed, and so a true interpretation of the Tanvii ora Toha could no longer exist - the people of Rauatai would have to create their own. He described the many strange things he had seen in his travels, and announced his intent to pursue the accumulation of knowledge abroad, seeking answers to new questions. 64 After parting ways with the Watcher, Kana Rua set out once more in search of the Tanvii ora Toha. Gathering up his supplies, he descended into the Endless Paths of Od Nua to seek out the holy tome on his own - and there vanished. What became of him remains a mystery. 65 After all that he had learned in the Watcher's company, Kana Rua could no longer see meaning in his pursuit of the Tanvii ora Toha. He decided to leave what remained of it within the depths of the Endless Paths, and return home. Kana bid the Watcher farewell and sailed back to Rauatai, spending the tempestuous journey reflecting on the time he had lost to the pursuit of falsehoods. His family found Kana much changed, his fiery excitement replaced with a weary solemnity. Determined to change his wandering ways, Kana took up a quiet life as a lore keeper at the college, teaching young students the traditions of their people. 66 Bank Node 66 67 With Thaos defeated and the souls released from Sun in Shadow, healthy children were born once again in the Dyrwood. Pleasant and peaceful memories rose to fill the cracks in the Grieving Mother's mind. She returned to the Birthing Bell, unaware that the village nearby had become an empty desolation in her absence. Thus she began her tireless vigil atop the adra, awaiting mothers and children who never came. 68 With Thaos defeated and the souls released from Sun in Shadow, healthy children were born once again in the Dyrwood. The Grieving Mother sought a place where she might do penance for the Birthing Bell. She returned to Dyrford, where, to the astonishment of the villagers, she delivered the first healthy child in over a decade. She remained there, and with each new birth, she saw a measure of hope restored to the Dyrwood and a measure of grace for her own troubled past. 69 Bank Node 69 70 Durance used Magran's strength only until Thaos had been cast from the world and then swore off her influence entirely. Regret came to weigh heavily on his mind, and a man who had never previously lacked for words or opinions came to embrace silence and contemplation. He continued to wander, penniless and destitute, searching now not for the reason for his goddess' silence, but for a mechanism for revenge. The charred robes he continued to wear as a reminder that he had been burned by his goddess, and not just by the flames of the Godhammer. 71 Durance continued to blame Woedica for the atrocities of the Saint's War. Believing Magran to have been a pawn in the machinations of the Queen that Was, and feeling that Thaos' expulsion had been a step towards reconciliation with his goddess, Durance tried for a time to reopen communication with her. When only silence came, he took it as a condemnation of his continued existence. Ultimately, he built a pyre and threw himself upon it, using his own shattered staff as kindling. 72 Bank Node 72 73 After five years of searching for Persoq, Sagani's four-month journey home felt longer still. The Dyrwood, Eir Glanfath, the Vailian Republics became places on a map, endless expanses of green between her and Naasitaq. 74 Sagani experienced the four months of her journey back to Massuk in vivid colors. She strove to memorize every moment of her final trip through the Dyrwood, Eir Glanfath, the Vailian Republics, and beyond, preparing to tell her village of what she had seen on her long journey. 75 In her four-month journey back to Naasitaq, Sagani found that the landscapes she traveled had become strangely colorless, the food bland and unsatisfying. She watched the Dyrwood, Eir Glanfath, the Vailian Republics, and the lands beyond slide by with a dull sense of dread. She returned home to great celebration, yet the words of joy and congratulations rang hollow to her. 76 Bank Node 76 77 For you, the death of Thaos brought an end to your waking visions, and a silence to the whispers of the past. In their absence, you were able to sleep. The questions of a distant lifetime ceased to trouble your soul. All that remained was what to make of the answer. 78 But at the moment, there was little to be done, and the matter would have to wait. A long journey loomed ahead. 79 With a flick of his wrist, he burned Thaos' robe, headdress, and every other symbol of the man's power. Never again, he vowed, should kith live in fear and blind obedience to an authority they did not understand. Armed with the knowledge and courage he had gained on his journeys with the Watcher, he set out on the long and lonely task of dismantling the Leaden Key. 80 Finally, he passed the last township and reached the wilds of Eir Glanfath, alive with hunter and beast alike. Yet none accosted him, and he eventually found himself among the ruins of the Engwithans. He found one of the ancient machines easily enough. When he did, he remembered the rituals he had learned from the Watcher. With a final sigh, he activated the device, surrendering his soul to the powers beyond. 81 Her homecoming was celebrated by all of Massuk, yet it was the reunion with Kallu and their children that truly brought her joy. She relinquished her role in the long hunts, and ever after, she and Itumaak spent their days working in the village and their nights at her hearth. She watched her own children and their children grow and thrive. When she finally passed, she lay surrounded by the affection and tears of five generations. 82 All of Massuk shared in her triumph, and she felt her pride and elation magnified by the joy of her village. Never again did she doubt the value of her sacrifices. After decades as a long hunter, Sagani finally became one of Massuk's most respected elders. She guided her community with wise counsel, and a generation after she finally passed, another huntress journeyed into the world to find her soul. 83 Old, beloved songs sounded toneless, the rituals of changing seasons became drudgery, and Sagani experienced her life back in Massuk as if in someone else's skin. So she fought to feel the worth of her actions or, at least, to let her village feel them. She led ever-longer and more ambitious hunts, mentoring the younger rangers who followed her. On one such expedition, her party was beset by a blizzard, and she pressed on where her companions turned back. She did not return to Massuk. 84 Kana's inability to prove his theory of Engwithan influence diminished his academic standing, but his passion drew much interest from those less concerned with degrees. Kana swiftly became an influential figure in the move toward a more collaborative approach to expansion on the northern continent. In his personal life, he came to enjoy the reputation of an affable eccentric, willing to share grand and impossible secrets along with a drink and a song. 85 True to his word, Kana soon set sail on yet another expedition - and in Tâkowa, his passionate accounts inspired many to follow in his footsteps. 86 Kana called for a new age in Rauatai culture, where his people might take their place at the forefront of progress, and pave the way toward a better future. Kana Rua's speech proved inspiring, and his voice came to be considered an influential one in the push toward continued progress in the northern continent. 87 After coming to and searching for some time, you discovered the route Thaos used to enter Sun in Shadow, and embarked on a long and arduous ascent back to the surface. You emerged in Teir Evron after days of tunneling through the rubble Thaos had left behind, and when you stepped into the daylight, you were faced with a different Dyrwood than the one you had left. 88 But for all the relief that had come to some parents, others only found new grief, for many thousands of Hollowborn had died during Waidwen's Legacy, many by their parents' own hands. For those children there would be no homecoming. Yet the last Hollow birth was in the past now, and those parents willing to risk trying for a new child were frequently rewarded, often with twins. Many felt they saw Hylea's hand in it, and the year would be remembered as the Year of Hylea's Splendor. 89 The last Hollow birth in Dyrwood was already in the past, and a new peace of mind had come not just to the lost souls of the Hollowborn, but to all the people of Dyrwood. 90 But for Dyrwood itself, the last Hollow birth had come and gone, and the country celebrated the lifting of Waidwen's Legacy none the wiser as to what future costs its end might hold. 91 And the new reasons to hope were many, for Waidwen's Legacy had come to an end after fifteen years. Hollow births ceased in the Dyrwood, and a country that only days ago had seemed on the brink of collapse was suddenly on the path to a recovery - a fitter, more resilient country in the preferred image of the god of the hunt. 92 Though parents of Hollowborn would remain just that, the end of Waidwen's Legacy would bring about a spate of new, healthy births, with many of the infants bearing souls once meant for Hollowborn children. The natural cycle of life and death had been restored to Dyrwood, and with it came a renewed faith in the providence of the gods. 93 For the people of Dyrwood, the question would linger as it always had, for even the truth was beyond belief. One day the Hollow births had stopped with as little explanation as they had started. For all their joy at the Legacy's end, Dyrwoodans would have to content themselves with their own theories as to the how and why of it all. But perhaps this was as Wael intended. 94 The skies of Dyrwood darkened, blotted with swarms of birds and other winged creatures called together to claim what the Sky-mother believed to be hers by right. For months, the people of Dyrwood were forced to stay under shelter for fear of the vicious, unexplained attacks from the sky. The incidents left entire villages decimated and littered the streets of Defiance Bay with corpses covered in a thousand puncture wounds. 95 The oceans proved no safer. A barrage of squalls pounded the harbors along the Dyrwoodan coast for months, sending many ships to be forever lost in the depths of Ondra's domain, either mourned or forgotten - both to the Lady's liking. 96 Those that weren't destroyed by the beasts of Galawain often found themselves at the mercy of the fires of Magran. A dry spell throughout Dyrwood led to a rash of forest fires on a scale not seen since the War of Black Trees, and many settlements paid the price for their proximity to the wilderness. In the cities, meanwhile, dabblers in animancy who had placed souls into golems and other moving vessels soon found that their creations had risen up against them. Such constructs terrorized their surroundings, killing indiscriminately and often in great numbers before being subdued. 97 An epidemic of unexplained deaths struck Dyrwood in the days that followed the Legacy. Most often the dead would be travelers on the road, known to be a favorite target of Berath's Pallid Knight, who exacts impossible tolls from those who have journeyed for too long. The elderly, too, seemed to pass on in alarming numbers. But just as often the deaths appeared to strike randomly and for no reason at all. Those who sensed the involvement of the Twinned God dubbed the calamity "Berath's Price," supposing it a payment for the end of Waidwen's Legacy. 98 In the heart of the bustling city of New Heomar, Skaenites maimed and disfigured one of their own number, removing eyes, hair, nose, and genitals, carving the body bloody and replacing its eyes with black stones. The chosen vessel was given blood to drink - not of a noble, as the ritual ordinarily called for - but of a dozen ordinary Dyrwoodans. The incarnation of the Effigy born into that body was as brutal as any in recorded history, tirelessly slaying hundreds and ritualistically maiming their bodies before falling dead, satisfied. 99 Gilded Vale remained under the harsh rule of Lord Raedric, who reigned unopposed after the death of his cousin Kolsc. He continued to terrorize the people of Gilded Vale, looking for Eothasians in their midst. But to Raedric, the sudden and unexpected end to Waidwen's Legacy came as a sign of the success and righteousness of his efforts, and in time his own people came to believe it, too. He relaxed his use of authority, no longer seeing his own people as potential threats, and Gilded Vale began to regain some of its old luster. 103 When the Legacy had lifted, people came to see it not as a sign that the riots had been according to the gods' wishes, as Thaos had hoped, but as a confirmation that animancy had never been the source of the problem in the first place. Dyrwoodans instead convinced themselves that the riots had somehow purged Defiance Bay of Leaden Key spies, and that the end of Waidwen's Legacy was their well-deserved reward. The rage against animancers was quickly forgotten, and those who had survived were permitted to return to Brackenbury Sanitarium and rebuild it so they might resume their studies. 104 The sanitarium was decorated with the dismembered heads and torsos of those who had practiced the science, and anyone caught studying it thereafter was soon added to the macabre display. The age of animancy in Dyrwood had come to an abrupt halt. 106 Defiance Bay would not fare so well. Squeezed by the Doemenels for every piece of copper, prices soared, and trade ground to a halt. Many commoners found themselves unable to make a living, or forced from their homes to make room for others more favored by House Doemenel. Petty crime, prostitution, and vagrancy would reach new heights under their watch, and many would flee the city in droves for the more favorable economy of New Heomar. 107 But order would soon come from an unexpected source. House Doemenel, realizing that stability was good for business, brought the city's criminal elements in line through a systematic campaign of fear and intimidation. Capitalizing on the mutual antipathy of the Dozens and the Knights of the Crucible, House Doemenel continued to manipulate both groups from the shadows, ensuring their decline and eventually supplanting their authority in Defiance Bay. 108 Defiance Bay was served well by the Doemenels' rise. Their subtle political maneuvers and lack of legal oversight allowed them to broker a number of favorable trade deals, rekindling the city's economy. Although their cautious approach in the Legacy's aftermath had perhaps denied them broad notoriety outside of Defiance Bay, House Doemenel's wealth and influence both continued to grow unchecked. 109 The Dozens would soon find themselves overwhelmed by the problems of a leaderless metropolis, and in the days and months ahead, Defiance Bay remained on the brink of collapse. 110 But once the Dozens had regrouped in the wake of the riots, they quickly put an end to the criminal activity. They patrolled the streets in droves and administered their brand of law on any perceived offenders. This was not the erratic justice of the mob, however. The Dozens had taken to heart the strengths of their adversaries, the Knights of the Crucible, and emerged as a far more organized, disciplined force. With the waning strength of the other Defiance Bay powers, the leadership of the Dozens took the opportunity to establish its own group as the dominant peacekeeping force in the city. 111 The Dozens would soon find themselves overwhelmed by the problems of a leaderless metropolis. But they found an uneasy new partner in the surviving forces of the Crucible Knights, who understood the city's infrastructure and were able to keep the worst of its problems under control. 113 For the Knights, their resurgence marked a return to the tradition as well. Having seen firsthand the dangers presented by dabblers in animancy, the order quickly abolished the practice internally, preferring the familiarity of their hammers and forges to the uncertainties of essence and adra. Their identity rediscovered, the Knights suppressed their political aspirations and began once again to train their recruits in the art of blacksmithing, recapturing the post-revolutionary ideals of Dyrwood and regaining the respect of its citizens as a result. 114 But order was soon reestablished by the Knights of the Crucible, who, despite their depleted numbers, had gained favor in the public eye for their role in the unraveling of the conspiracy surrounding Waidwen's Legacy. They were quickly reinforced by returning forces from Fleetbreaker Castle. Having seen both the ills and the promise of animancy, internally the Knights quietly began a more cautious exploration of the new science. Depleted in numbers but bolstered by their newly forged stock of soul-augmented weaponry and a small contingent of forge knights, the Knights of the Crucible would soon become an order few in Defiance Bay would dare to cross. 115 But the opportunity to build upon their newfound power proved too great a temptation for the High Justice. What was at first a measured approach to animancy soon gave way to a rapid build-up of armaments. The High Justice would eventually seize control of the city for his order, and place Defiance Bay under indefinite martial law. 116 The fortress of Caed Nua emerged as a bastion of security in the midst of an untamed land, becoming the envy of every thayn and erl in Dyrwood. Legend grew over time of its impregnability, and stories of formidable invaders easily scattered by the keep's defenses became popular around the hearths of Dyrwoodan inns. Likewise, it also became a beacon to travelers, merchants, and visiting dignitaries alike. Reputed as the finest fortress in all Dyrwood, people would journey from near and distant lands alike to experience its fabled hospitality and grandeur. 117 Cascade Node 117 118 Bank Node 118 119 Bank Node 119 120 Bank Node 120 121 Following the assassinations of Duc Aevar Wolfgrin and Lady Webb, Defiance Bay was thrown into political upheaval. In the ensuing weeks, the streets had become the domain of looters and blackguards, and few dared to step outside their own doors alone or unarmed. 122 Heritage Hill, never exorcised of whatever curse had caused its inhabitants to turn into cannabalistic monsters, would remain abandoned - a place adolescents and drunks would sneak into on dares and never return. At night, strange noises - gutteral vocalizations and shambling footsteps - would eventually drive away residents who lived just outside the district as well. 123 Bank Node 123 124 You and Sagani never found Persoq together. The adra figurine had gone dark by the time they emerged from Sun in Shadow, and it was another month before Sagani finally accepted that Persoq's trail had gone cold again. Her search took her beyond the Dyrwood and as far as the Living Lands. She saw the great coastal cities of Rauatai and the ruins of Old Vailia, absorbing the details of these strange and distant lands. 125 Twenty years passed before the adra figurine finally glowed again. When it did, she followed its signal to a quiet hamlet on the outskirts of Aedyr. There, she met a young farmer and told her of her past as an elder of Massuk. Sagani returned to a village that had forgotten her face but remembered her story. Massuk greeted her with cautious warmth, and Sagani found that their ways had become strange to her. 126 She also learned that Kallu had perished of winter fever a few years before, and her middle child, Najuo, had died in a raid. But she found her daughter Yakona a hunter and mother of three and her son Malaak a builder of mighty walls. In them, she came to find her place in the village and the familiar contours of a world that had changed in her absence. 127 Edér chose not to return home. Still conflicted as to his role in the Saint's War and unsure of his place in the Dyrwood, he took a ship to Aedyr and reunited with his parents. There, he resumed the quiet lifestyle he had grown accustomed to in his years as a farmhand in Gilded Vale. 128 The death of Lady Webb marked a turning point in your search for a cure to your condition. Without her help, the Leaden Key's trail soon ran cold. In time your visions invaded your waking thoughts, as they had for Maerwald, and took over your mind. You would spend the remainder of your days wandering the streets of Defiance Bay, raving at passersby and fleeing the phantoms in your mind. 129 Summoning your courage, you took a leap of faith into the pit at the summit of the Burial Isle. The fall seemed to take ages, but then all at once, the ground rushed to meet you... and end your life. 131 In the town of Dyrford, an underground cult dedicated to Skaen insinuated itself into the town's institutions. It became a popular travel destination for the wealthy, who were actively courted by the town's leadership. But few who visited the town would ever return, as they soon found their fortunes plummeting and their reputations destroyed by their own kin. 132 The town of Dyrford had seen the last of the Cult of Skaen. Dark rumors about the town's many curses quickly faded, and travelers soon returned. 133 But at the moment, there was little to be done, and the matter would have to wait. A long journey loomed ahead, made no easier by your decision to bring an infant to Sun in Shadow.